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During the recruitment process, it's essential for employers to find qualified, competent candidates who are capable of performing the job in question. However, it can be difficult to judge a candidate's skills and abilities solely on the basis of their CV presentation and interviews.
That's why many companies, including Yuzu, now offer what are known as professional aptitude tests or exams. These enable you to assess the real abilities of your potential future employees. These tests can take different forms and assess a variety of skills, such as technical skills but not only.
They are not new. Originally, they were used to assess the skills of industrial workers. Since 1950, their use has taken a completely different turn. They were used to evaluate employees as well as job applicants.
Today, recruiters are using them more and more online, and they have evolved to cover a wide range of skills, including soft skills.
Do you want to quickly assess your candidates and make informed selection decisions? In this article, you'll discover the various professional aptitude tests that will help you make the best choice.
First of all, let's define what a professional aptitude test really is.
1 - What is a vocational aptitude test?
A professional aptitude test is a tool commonly used by recruiters, HR managers and executives.
Its aim is to assess the candidate's reasoning skills and job-related knowledge in a specific field.
They can cover a wide range of areas, including verbal comprehension, logic, numeracy, problem-solving and technical skills.
Professional aptitude tests can also assess soft skills such as adaptability, empathy, teamwork, creativity, conflict resolution and many others. It's important not to underestimate their importance to professional success. Today, they are just as important as other skills.
Measuring soft skills is no easy task, as they are often linked to personal and behavioral qualities that can be difficult to assess objectively. However, thanks to this valuable tool, you can easily assess your candidates' soft skills.
The results of vocational aptitude tests are a reliable indicator of a candidate's ability to learn in a given professional environment.
In addition, language proficiency tests can be used to measure a candidate's ability to communicate effectively in a multilingual business environment. A salesperson may not be able to sell a product if he or she is not fluent in the customer's language.
Our first tip: when making decisions during the recruitment process, it's important to understand that professional aptitude tests should not be used on their own. They need to be combined with other assessment methods, such as interviews or skills assessments, to get a complete picture of your candidate's skills.
Our second tip: psychometric tests are used to assess social and interpersonal skills, while aptitude tests are used to assess the technical and non-technical skills needed to succeed in a particular profession. Using them together reflects the complete assessment solution.
2 - Why are professional aptitude tests important in your assessments?
Finding the best candidate can be difficult. An interview can hide a lot of information about an individual's reasoning skills. However, if you want to compare candidates more accurately, there's a way to get a more in-depth study of each candidate.
Professional aptitude tests enable you to compare your future employees objectively, by offering them identical standards of measurement and identical questions. This will enable recruiters to easily determine whether or not a candidate is suited to succeed in a position.
During assessments, cognitive biases can often cloud recruiters' judgment. Indeed, recruiters may unconsciously discriminate between candidates based on prejudices and stereotypes. Vocational aptitude tests are a valuable tool that can help limit these harmful cognitive biases in your recruitment process.
3 - What are the different job aptitude tests?
There are many examples of professional aptitude tests, each as interesting and effective as the next. Let's take a look at them now.
3.1 - Personality test
You may be thinking, "There's no substitute for feeling, so why use a personality test at all?".
While it's true that some people, when assessing a candidate, prefer to trust their intuition or gut feeling. It's just as important to take into account the cognitive biases that can strongly influence our impressions. Personality tests provide objective data to complement our intuitive impressions.
The use of a personality test in business allows us to evaluate, as the name suggests, an individual's personality traits. Assessing them is becoming essential in a constantly evolving world, where behavioral skills have become a key element. Indeed, personality is one of the main components that determine these behavioral skills.
Today, companies are increasingly recruiting for a career rather than a specific position. They are therefore aware of the importance of relational dimensions, which are assessed using personality tests. The results of these tests can help identify candidates who have the behavioral skills needed to succeed in a given professional environment.
Personality test not to your liking? Don't worry, there are plenty of others to suit you!
3.2 - General skills test
A general skills test is a standardized examination designed to assess an individual's skills in a variety of areas, such as digital skills and data analysis.
They are designed to limit discrimination. It is important to assess the skills of different individuals fairly. They are often used in the recruitment process.
Do you wish to make informed decisions based on concrete data? Then this test is for you!
However, to complete this assessment it is important to remember that it needs to be combined with other assessment methods.
3.3 - Job-specific skills testing
Unlike general skills tests, which assess an individual's basic skills, job-specific skills tests focus on the specific skills needed to succeed in a particular role or function. They therefore vary considerably depending on the position for which they are designed.
It is important to note that job-specific skills tests can be used to assess candidates at different levels of experience (from beginner to advanced).
3.4 - Motivation test
A motivational test is an assessment tool often used as part of a recruitment process to measure an individual's level of motivation. Through it, recruiters can identify two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic.
The former is linked to self-fulfilment and personal satisfaction. The second, on the other hand, is linked to rewards such as remuneration or benefits.
This test includes several elements, such as questions on personal interests, personal values, goals, work habits, obstacles or even work preferences.
In fact, there are many different ways of assessing a candidate's motivation.
3.5 - Soft skills aptitude test: choose Yuzu
The soft skills aptitude test is an assessment tool designed to measure behavioral competencies, such as :
- communication,
- collaboration,
- problem-solving,
- empathy,
- critical thinking,
- creativity,
- time management,
- conflict management.
It can take a variety of forms: online questionnaires, practical assessments and even a much more original form, scenario simulations. The time required to complete them varies from one test to another, ranging from a few minutes to several hours.
Test results are generally used to help employers assess a candidate's behavioral skills in order to make recruitment decisions.
Our tip: you can even use it in another situation, that of a major skills upgrade for a current employee. It allows you to evaluate their progress.
Why not choose Yuzu? A new-generation gamified Assessment Center in partnership with a psychology and neuroscience laboratory. Immerse your candidates in real-life situations developed using the latest video game technologies.
Each adventure is equally accessible to all profiles, and takes 10 to 20 minutes to complete.
The benefits of the solution :
- An exceptional candidate experience to strengthen your employer brand.
- A solution accessible to all, from any computer.
- A decision-making tool to reduce cognitive bias.
Whether for your recruitment or internal mobility processes, we transform soft skills assessment into a fun and powerful experience.
4 - How do I choose the right tests for the job?
To select the right tests for your job, it's essential to follow the steps below.
First of all, you need to spend a considerable amount of time analyzing your job description. This will help you understand the skills and qualities required for the job. If you don't know which skills to evaluate, how will you be able to choose a suitable test?
It's also necessary to assess the skills required for the work environment. Some practical skills and soft skills may be more important than others for success in a particular job.
Once these key skills have been identified, it's important to choose valid and reliable vocational aptitude tests.
To prove the validity of a test, can you answer the question: "Does it measure what it's supposed to measure?
To prove the reliability of your test, can you answer this other question: "Does it refer to the consistency and accuracy of results?
Our advice: to select the most suitable tests, it is advisable to consult a human resources professional. He or she will be able to guide you in choosing the most appropriate tests for your position.
5 - How do I administer them?
The administration of vocational aptitude tests is a complex and crucial stage. To guarantee reliable results that comply with regulations, it is important to comply with the laws and regulations in force in your country. Administration depends on the test and its objectives.
First and foremost, familiarize yourself with the test by carefully reading the user manual. To avoid wasting time during the test and disrupting the session, make sure you have all the materials you need for it to run smoothly. It's important to give participants the various instructions. Provide other important information, such as the duration of the test.
Make sure participants have enough time to answer all the questions. You can also monitor their work to make sure they understand the instructions and respond appropriately.
Once the test is over, it's important to collect the data properly. You can either use an automated response system or record the answers manually.
The results will help you assess the participants' skills and suitability for your position. Good luck!
Conclusion
The Job Aptitude Test is a valuable tool for testing and recruiting the best people for your job. This A to Z guide provides valuable information on how to select the right tests for your company's specific needs, and how to administer them effectively.
Test validity and reliability are key considerations when selecting and administering tests. Compliance with applicable laws and regulations is also crucial to ensuring the fairness and transparency of the recruitment process.
By following the advice and steps provided in this guide, you can maximize your chances of finding the best candidates for your vacancies, and thus contribute to your company's success.